


Vandalism

by Tommyboy



Category: The Sentinel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-07-02
Updated: 2009-07-02
Packaged: 2019-06-13 03:49:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15355566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tommyboy/pseuds/Tommyboy
Summary: Blair is a trouble magnet.  Blair runs into trouble on campus and calls Simon for assistance.





	Vandalism

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Elaine, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Artifact Storage Room 3](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Artifact_Storage_Room_3) and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Artifact Storage Room 3’s collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/artifactstorageroom3/profile).

Simon looked at his phone to see his personal line was ringing. The line was dedicated to his department's detectives. He picked up swiftly, answering in his curt tone, "Banks." 

"Captain?" a voice he recognized to be Blair Sandburg. It didn't sound like the confidant anthropologist that he still couldn't quite figure out.

"Sandburg," he answered to the name game.

"Ah, I know I shouldn't be using this line, but I had to call you, without Jim knowing, and if I went through Rhonda, Jim would hear her request my name and most likely ask questions on why I wanted you and why I wasn't calling Jim. But I don't want Jim to know, but I need someone to help, and the only one I could call was you." Simon listened to the long explanation and wondered how Jim could put up with this on a regular basis.

"What happened Sandburg?"

"The last few weeks there had been an out break of vandalism. Seems that a few of the hate groups that you find on campuses, you know, young minds finding others with the same prejudices, well the last few weeks they had been doing things here and there. Campus police really hadn't done much."

"Sandburg?" Simon asked, trying to get to the point a bit faster.

"Oh right, they targeted me this time. My car man, trashed, the tires slashed, paint all over it, and something else, looks disgusting. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you. The campus police don't know how to handle this, and I'm getting tired of being the target. Jim doesn't understand, I mean, he's the poster boy of the Arian race."

"And you're calling me because?"

"I want to file a report. If I called Jim, he would just down play it like the campus police, but I thought you would understand a bit more."

Simon sat back. Yes he did, growing up he had been called many names when he was bussed to a school to integrate it. Looking for a job as a teenager, he was left with fewer options then his school mates. He may have missed the civil riots of the sixties, but he had to come to terms with it and hold himself through it. Thinking, he couldn't imagine what Sandburg had to live through, between being Jewish, a genius at an early age, and looking the way he did.

"Where are you at Sandburg?"

"On my cell phone, looking at my car. Man they so trashed it."

"I'll be down there with Joel in thirty minutes, find me the head of campus security. They picked on the wrong person this time."

Sandburg sounded shocked, "You're coming down?"

"I can still take cases Sandburg. You came to me with this. Find the security personal, and do me a favor, stay out of trouble in the process." 

Jim watched as Blair walked into the bullpen with Simon and followed him to his office. Wanting to know what was up between Blair and Simon, Jim stood up and headed towards his superiors office.

Simon sat down at his desk as he was turning on his computer. "Seven cases. They had seven cases of racial prejudice and they never once called the department about it."

"Simon, it looks bad for the university." Blair tried to defend.

"Oh, like the university took the matters in hand was a great answer? Who's next? What is the next thing they are going to do? Sandburg? Do you realize what they threw on your car? Even if you could get the tires fixed and a new paint job, I wouldn't touch it with a twenty foot pole. And think of Jim's senses, I bet he could still smell the stench after you washed it ten times.

Jim knocked on the door.

"Enter," Simon bellowed. He was working himself up about how the university wanted to protect itself.

"What did you do this time Chief?" Jim asked seeing Simon turn a little red in the face.

"I didn't do anything Jim," Blair defended himself.

"Sure you did. I see Simon's blood pressure building and he brought you into his office. Usually that means you did something."

Simon listened to the way Jim assumed about Blair. He decided it was time to show Jim a few things about reality and life.

"Detective Ellison," he said in his best command voice. "I will let it be known, that Mr. Blair Sandburg is in my office to give me a statement."

"A statement?" Jim looked from Simon to Blair. "What? Where?"

"Something happened at school and I called Simon to help."

"Why didn't you call me?" Jim looked more intensely at Blair, who turned his face away from the patent stare.

"Because you wouldn't understand," Blair mumbled.

"Understand what?" Jim asked.

"What it is like to be scorned by you peer group because of who you were born," Simon answered for Blair. He had been there and lived through the words and actions of people who didn't now the difference.

Jim looked questionably.

"Sandburg called me because someone or persons destroyed his car. He was targeted because he's Jewish. He called me because of the people he knows in the department as detectives, he wanted someone who he could find take this matter seriously. Which brings me to a conclusion about my department; I need to send them to a refresher course on civil rights."

Simon opened the folder he had with him. "The University had seven incidents including Sandburg's. They didn't want to cause a media sensation. I asked the College President what it was going to take to share the information with the city, a killing?

"Sandburg, how do you work under such incompetence?" Simon asked.

"I try to stay away from the morons and teach my students. It's the best thing to do."

"Ellison, if you want to make yourself useful, take Mr. Sandburg's statement. Then I want you to ask him to list all the known extremist clubs and groups on campus. Then tomorrow, I want you take Mr. Sandburg with you to interview members of said clubs.

"I should have this folder copied for you before you leave."

Blair stood up to leave with Jim and Simon stopped him, "Blair, I won't let this go."

"I know Captain. Thanks."

Blair followed Jim back in the pen and stopped at Jim's desk. Jim sat down behind the desk while Blair took the seat beside it.

"If you want, I can type it up for you and save you the hassle of asking the questions."

Jim looked at Blair and wondered when did he become the bad guy. Jim settled his elbows on the desk. "Chief? What did I do to make you not trust me?"

"Jim, I trust you."

"No you don't. Why did you call Simon?"

Blair looked around the pen and saw the detectives that made up the unit. He looked at Jim and pondered a moment. "Jim you are the one person in Major Crimes that didn't have to fight for your life growing up." Blair moved his hand around to the room. "Everyone here has had to fight for their identity. I myself had to stand up to bullies because I was the new kid in town, being Jewish, being smart, wearing glasses, and being small, each being an offense against some people."

Blair shrugged his shoulders. "You've made remarks about things. I had heard about the things going on around campus. I wondered when I might see something happen to me, you know, trouble magnet and all. When it did, I called Simon. It's just, you see things in your world, and really it's a little different than that."

"So you're saying that I'm incapable of understanding when someone is targeted because of their differences?"

Blair looked away for a moment. "Sometimes you react the way you were brought up, just your natural reaction. It's just I didn't want to have to explain this all to you if you came to the university and saw my car. It's hard enough trying to teach tolerance but to explain it to your best friend when you're the victim." Blair sighed. "Man I've had a long day and it's only one."

Jim opened up a new file and started inputting information about Blair for his statement. He asked the necessary questions and had Blair detail what he had done before and upon discovering his car in the parking lot. He cringed when Blair noted what had been smeared over his car. Simon had been right, if the car could be fixed, he would still be able to smell what had been put on the car.

Jim finished the report and printed it. Blair reviewed it and signed off on it.

"I'm going to get a drink, want anything?" Blair asked.

"No, I'm going to see if Simon has those files copied and ask Simon if we can head home. We need to come up with that list and perhaps look for a new car for you."

"Yeah, I will need wheels, can't bum rides forever."

"Not like you bum a room for a year now." Jim answered.

Blair shrugged, "What can I say I grow on people."

Jim nodded to that, "Yes you grow on me, and you know what?"

"What?"

"You keep teaching this old man new things about himself."

Blair stood up, "you're not mad at me for calling Simon?"

"No, you did what you had to do." Jim closed the case folder. "Go get that drink and we'll be out of here." 

 

 

 


End file.
